Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 91

Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga

Devanagari script

ततो द्रक्ष्यथ देवेशं दुर्दर्शमकृतात्मभिः / यं दृष्ट्वा सर्वमज्ञानमधर्मश्च प्रणश्यति

Transliteration

tato drakṣyatha deveśaṃ durdarśamakṛtātmabhiḥ / yaṃ dṛṣṭvā sarvamajñānamadharmaśca praṇaśyati

Translation

Then you shall behold the Lord of the gods—hard to perceive for those whose inner self is undisciplined. Upon seeing Him, all ignorance and all unrighteousness (adharma) are destroyed.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण): ‘thereafter/then’

• drakṣyatha: you (all) will see
• drakṣyatha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ (लुट्) / periphrastic future, Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Bahuvacana (plural), Parasmaipada; ‘you will see’

• deveśam: the Lord of the gods
• deveśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Dvitīyā (accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (sing.); tatpuruṣa: deva-īśa ‘lord of gods’

• durdarśam: difficult to behold
• durdarśam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + darśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Dvitīyā (acc., 2nd), Ekavacana; adjective qualifying deveśam; tatpuruṣa with prefix dur- ‘hard to see’

• akṛtātmabhiḥ: by the undisciplined (persons)
• akṛtātmabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण) / Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-kṛta-ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Tṛtīyā (instrumental, 3rd), Bahuvacana; karmadhāraya: akṛta-ātmā ‘one whose self is not disciplined/uncultivated’

• yam: whom
• yam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Dvitīyā (acc., 2nd), Ekavacana; relative pronoun referring to deveśam

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय), ‘having seen’

• sarvam: all/entire
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (neut.), Dvitīyā (acc., 2nd), Ekavacana; adjective qualifying ajñānam

• ajñānam: ignorance
• ajñānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (neut.), Prathamā (nom., 1st), Ekavacana; subject with adharmaḥ (compound subject)

• adharmaḥ: unrighteousness
• adharmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc.), Prathamā (nom., 1st), Ekavacana; coordinated with ajñānam

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• praṇaśyati: perishes/is destroyed
• praṇaśyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√naś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्) present, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages/seekers

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Devesha (Supreme Lord)
• Ishvara (Lord as the Supreme)
• Dharma
• Ajnana (Ignorance)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

It implies that true vision of the Supreme Lord (Ishvara) is inaccessible to the unrefined mind; when that vision arises through inner discipline, ignorance (ajñāna)—the root cause of misidentification of the Self—collapses.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes ātma-saṃskāra (inner refinement): self-control, purification, and steadiness of mind—core prerequisites in the Kurma Purana’s Yoga-oriented teaching (often aligned with Pāśupata/Shiva-oriented discipline while affirming Vishnu as Ishvara).

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

By focusing on Ishvara as the transcendent “Lord of the gods” who destroys ajñāna and adharma, the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the highest reality is one, approached through devotion and yogic purification whether expressed in Shaiva or Vaishnava idiom.